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April 8, 2022
Imported Chicken Reached a High Price for the First Time in Ten Years
Domestic wholesale prices of imported chicken and pork are rising due to the prolonged Ukrainian crisis. Logistics disruptions in the European region and the weak yen also pushed up the market price in addition to demand for other domestic products as substitutes for Ukrainian products due to the supply disruptions. Concerns about shortage of supply are spreading in anticipation of the spring holiday season, when demand is high.
Wholesale prices for Brazilian chicken, which account for 70% of domestic chicken imports, rose 20% this month to about 385 yen per kilo for thigh meat (frozen) as of late March. It marked the highest price in about 10 years and 8 months.
According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Ukraine is one of the world's leading exporters with 430,000 tons in 2021. The invasion by Russia has intensified supply concerns, and demand for poultry meat in the Middle East, which had been a major export destination, is shifting toward "Brazilian products".
Imported chicken market prices had been falling this year as production in Brazil and Thailand recovered, while Japanese demand remained sluggish. But the mood in the market changed dramatically with arrival of March.
According to the Japan Meat Traders Association (Minato-ku, Tokyo), Japan's April imports of Brazilian meat are expected to fall 17.3% from the same month last year to 27,500 tons. Logistics delays also continue, and if demand for travel and food service recovers, “There's a good chance we'll run out of product in the spring (a major wholesaler)”.
Imported pork prices are also rising due to concerns about procurement of European products. Danish pork fillet (frozen) was up 2.8% from the beginning of March to about 730 yen per kilo, the highest price in about two years. Due to the disruption in logistics, the time from production to arrival is also unreadable, and "no offers are being made"(a trading company).


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Major cryptocurrencies slumped on Friday as a new coronavirus variant sparked concerns across the broader market.
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was down 5.7% to trade at $54,629 (£41,007). It's down about 20% from its all-time high of roughly $69,000, which it hit earlier this month.
Ethereum (ETH-USD), the world’s second biggest crypto by market cap, plummeted 6% and was trading at $4,051, even as US banking giant JPMorgan Chase (JPM) said the crypto could be a better investment than bitcoin.
“The rise in bond yields and the eventual normalisation of monetary policy is putting downward pressure on bitcoin as a form of digital gold, the same way higher real yields have been putting downward pressure on traditional gold,” the JPMorgan report said.
“With ethereum deriving its value from its applications, ranging from DeFi [decentralised finance] to gaming to NFTs [non-fungible tokens] and stablecoins, it appears less susceptible than bitcoin to higher real yields,” it added.
Investors seem concerned about the new COVID-19 strain discovered in South Africa.
The World Health Organization is keeping an eye on this new variant with many alterations to the spike protein, as COVID cases increase in the run up to the holiday season.
The UK government said six African countries would be added to its travel 'red list', with flights being temporarily banned.
Farah Mourad, senior market analyst at XTB, told Yahoo Finance UK: "Crypto markets are down as a global selloff seems to be underway and risk aversion increases."
"Investors are trying to reduce their exposure in the face of the uncertainty surrounding the possible effects of the new COVID variant on the economy and the financial markets, and as central banks’ interventions could come sooner, reducing the attractiveness of digital currencies."
Earlier this week, India said it will introduce a new bill that would see it banning the majority of digital currencies.
Read more: Live crypto prices
“The coming weeks may be a little interesting as the same bill that unnerved crypto investors is set to be tabled in the Indian parliament,” said Kunal Sawhney, CEO at Kalkine Group.
“It is then that the real intent of this bill will become public. Either way, it may have an impact, resulting in similar price fluctuations when China banned cryptos.”
He said if India decides to steer clear of any ban and instead go for regulating the space, prices might pick up, but if this major emerging economy chooses to ban these volatile assets, prices may undergo a severe correction just like it happened at the time of China's crackdown.

domain: news


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No, April Fool's Day is way past already. This is not a hoax.
While you are playing pranks on your mates, apparently some smart-ass suggested the Rukun Negara to be printed on products. It seems that a few companies already have agreed to do that.
Companies May Print Rukun Negara Principles On Their Product Packaging
KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Private companies are being encouraged to print the five principles of the Rukun Negara on the packaging of their products, Deputy Information Minister Chia Kwang Chye said Saturday.
He said there was positive response from some companies.
Chia, who heads the national committee for the Rukun Negara campaign, said this to reporters after opening a forum on the Rukun Negara themed "Keluargaku, Keluarga Malaysia" (My Family, the Malaysian Family) at Putra World Trade Centre here.
The forum, organised by Persatuan Pemuda Negara (National Youth Association) and Malaysian Interfaith Network (MIN), discussed the principles of the Rukun Negara -- Belief in God, Loyalty to King and Country, Upholding the Constitution, the Rule of Law and Good Behaviour and Morality.
Could the '
Think of your country when you screw next time.(But kennot lar! How to reach M's 70 million population target liddat?)
Swinging moods during periods? Think of your country and you'd be better.
It may seem to be a disrespect but it is NOT impossible. Those are only two less harsher examples. I haven't included super-imposed versions of products by GBH or SSI-Schaefer if they have agreed to join the '
Related post: Rukun Negara Now A Compulsary at Official Functions


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By Foster Benjamin:
Malawian beauty pageant winner and model, Etta Chirwa, has been crowned Miss Photogenic Africa 2020, beating nine other contestants in the Miss Black Beauty Africa 2020.
Chirwa was crowned winner online due to Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions in a contest hosted by Glamour Face.
“I feel great to take home this year’s crown, and it’s been a great experience. I came out 13 in the main Miss Black Beauty Africa 2020 but I emerged first as Miss Photogenic,” the 2018 Miss Glam & Glory second princess, said.
She said that her crowning will help propel her modelling career beyond borders.
“I really look forward to contesting in more international contests once Covid-19 pandemic crisis is over. We hope the world will get back to normal again since we have also been hardest hit by the pandemic,” she said.
The contest, which drew together models from over 10 African countries, saw Kenyan Monika Achieng crowned Miss Black Beauty Africa 2020.
Mozambique’s Niria Da Labiba was second while Ariyke H. Cymbeart from Nigeria was a second runner.
A vibrant writer who gives a great insight on hot topics and issues


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Marriott International today announced it has signed an agreement with Palm Hills Developments to open The Ritz-Carlton Cairo, Palm Hills, signaling a commitment to strengthening its portfolio of properties across the company’s luxury brands in Egypt.
“We are thrilled to work with Palm Hills Developments to bring a new level of exceptional luxury and unrivaled elegance to West Cairo,” said Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating Officer – Middle East, Marriott International. “Cairo is a sought-after leisure destination synonymous with some of the world’s most outstanding historical and cultural sites. We continue to see a opportunities to thoughtfully grow our iconic brands in Egypt and other destinations where we know our guests want to travel most.”
Expected to open in 2027, the new hotel in Cairo is expected to include 150 guestrooms and 50 one-, two- and three-bedroom serviced apartments, and will bring The Ritz-Carlton’s legendary service and exquisite design to West Cairo. Comprehensive facilities are anticipated to include five dining destinations, a spa, fitness centre, pool, children’s club and state-of-the-art meeting and event facilities.
Commenting on the signing, Palm’s Hills Developments Chairman and Group CEO, Yasseen Mansour said, “We would like to welcome Marriott International as our new prominent collaborator in Palm Hills October as we are always eager to work with best-in-class partners, and bringing Ritz-Carlton on board is a milestone for our company, that aligns perfectly with our strategic vision of encouraging the tourism sector along with elevating the offerings of the real estate industry in Egypt. This collaboration underscores our commitment to complement PHD’s communities and hence maximize their values. By joining forces with Ritz-Carlton, we will deliver an unparalleled international experience, redefining luxury and setting new standards in Palmet October.”
Part of Palm Hills, a luxury mix-use community in the suburbs of West Cairo, the hotel has views of the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Palm Hills Golf Course. The new-build property will make up a part of the Palm Hills West Cairo development, which will consist of residential, commercial, extended dining offerings and entertainment areas.
The new hotel in Cairo will be located within a 20-minute drive to Cairo’s landmarks including the Great Pyramids of Giza and The Grand Egyptian Museum, business and commercial districts including the Industrial City, Smart Village, and entertainment and retail destination The Mall of Arabia. Palm Hills is also easily accessible from Cairo International Airport and The Sphinx International airport.


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EU and Singapore boost trade ties
A trade deal between the European Union and Singapore could create significant new opportunities for business, according to the head of HSBC’s trade finance division.
The EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, signed today, will eliminate almost all tariffs on goods traded between the two. It will also standardise rules in sectors such as electronics and motor vehicles, making it easier for companies to do business across borders.
Natalie Blyth, Head of Global Trade and Receivables Finance, HSBC, said: “Today’s signing of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement promises to further strengthen ties between these two important economies. Through eliminating virtually all tariffs and lowering non-tariff barriers, it offers businesses new opportunities to trade their goods and services.”
The deal could boost exports from the EU to Singapore by EUR1.4 billion over ten years, analysis by economists in the European Commission suggests. Exports from Singapore to the EU could grow by as much as EUR3.5 billion over the same period.
Singaporean exporters stand to benefit from improved access to European markets, particularly in sectors including electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and processed food, according to Mrs Blyth.
For European businesses, the deal will make it easier to sell to consumers in Singapore and throughout the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Singapore is a founder member. ASEAN’s ten member states have a combined population of more than 650 million, a combined GDP of about USD2.8 trillion, and a rapidly expanding middle class.
The agreement will need to be ratified by the government in Singapore and the member states of the EU to come into force.
A separate deal between the EU and Vietnam is also awaiting ratification. The EU is negotiating further pacts with Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.


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How Barneys is digitizing its New York City flagship store
Today, Barneys New York is opening a flagship store in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. The location, which will take up almost an entire city block on 7th Avenue, is a homecoming: it’s where the luxury department store, then a menswear brand, was originally founded in 1923.
The return to its downtown roots comes about 20 years after the Chelsea store closed and Barneys migrated uptown to Madison Avenue. Its reclamation of the original location comes at a time when physical retail is undergoing a digital renaissance powered by mobile, social media content and online-to-offline shipping and pickup.
Barneys’ new flagship is delicately balancing the location’s historic roots — local architects were tapped to rebuild an updated version of the original store — with modern technology. Here’s what to expect from Barneys’ digitally forward flagship.
A full beacon network
Barneys is launching an iBeacon platform with its mobile app that will alert users when new content is uploaded, as well as help customers navigate the store. Beginning today, when users open the Barneys New York app, two prompts appear: The first to permit push notifications, and the second to allow Barneys to use customers’ location to determine if they’re in or near a Barneys store.
Barneys will be pushing editorial content from The Window, Barneys’ in-house publication, to users’ phones, including new seasonal lookbooks, designer interviews, and videos. To celebrate its Chelsea store opening, Barneys is sending an alert to app users that features a guide to New York, including Barneys’ recommendations for dining and sightseeing in the neighborhood.
In store, the app becomes more personal, sending notifications based on what’s in stock that’s also in users’ mobile shopping bags or wish lists, as well as recommendations based on the content from The Window was recently opened.
“The most important touchpoint is the phone,” said Barneys vp of digital Matthew Woolsey. “We’re proud of the way we’ve used our customer data online and offline to be fluidly connected — it allows for a personalized, consistent experience in store and online.”
Barneys’ bet on beacons demonstrates the luxury retailers are looking to the technology as a way to reach into shoppers’ pockets and provide a personalized, elevated experience in store and out. However, the retailer is still counting on its customers to download and use the mobile app, as well as allow Barneys push notification and location access. According to L2’s 2015 omnichannel data, only 8 percent of the digital think tanks’ index brands are using beacons, 31 percent are in “wait and see” mode, and 10 percent have written off beacons completely.
Looking beyond the smartphone-powered beacons, Barneys is putting iPads into the hands of every salesperson to better personalize the shopping experience. Frequent customers will be identifiable by their in-store and online purchase history. Shoppers can also checkout on the iPads with Apple Pay.
In identifying online and mobile customers in store by smartphone, Barneys is ahead of the majority of retailers looking to personalize the shopping experience. According to L2, 41 percent of index brands are planning to implement a way to recognize mobile customers in store in the next three to five years.
Barneys COO Daniella Vitale wrote in the new flagship announcement that the goal is to seamlessly integrate technology, staff, and the customer, which is complemented in store by the recent digital redesigns of both Barneys.com and The Window to be responsive on mobile.
Barneys is joining the ranks of companies like Net-a-Porter and Amazon that have implemented same-day delivery for Manhattan and Brooklyn customers. If an online order is placed by 12 p.m., the package will be delivered that day from the NYC flagship store.
L2 data has shown that customers prefer free shipping over fast shipping, 68 percent to 32. At Barneys, same-day delivery will cost New York residents an extra $25.
Woolsey said that while Barneys doesn’t have to offer the same incentives as Amazon, the company is focusing on upping customer expectation as part of the luxury experience.
“Luxury is at a place where we can make strategic investments for our brand, rather than playing catch up everywhere,” Woolsey said. “The goal is to create an elevated customer expectation.”
More in Marketing
TikTok has officially launched its new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, earlier this month on August 1. Using the new e-commerce platform, brands and creators can sell products directly on the platform, potentially creating new revenue streams, and tap into the short-form video platform’s growing popularity.
‘The influencer industry can be really vile’: Confessions of an influencer marketer on the industry’s unfair hiring practices
While the influencer industry might sound exciting and like it’s full of opportunities, one marketer can vouch for the horrific scenarios that still take place behind the scenes.
After a tumultuous 12 months, marketers are getting a clear picture of how they really did during a time of true uncertainty. And, as it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad.
Ad position: web_bfu


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Flipkart, Amazon, Paytm Can Ban You From CoD Orders; Find Out Why They Will Do This! (And How?)
If you’re someone who prefers the cash on delivery (COD) mode of payment for online shopping, you need to be sure of your track record.
Yes, Flipkart, Amazon, and Paytm will no longer allow you to opt for the COD mode if you come up as a defaulter.
Read on and find out the reason COD will no longer be an option!
Flipkart And Amazon In Loss; Is COD the Reason Behind This?
Flipkart and Amazon have decided that online shoppers who opt for cash on delivery mode of payment and fail to receive deliveries with not be allowed to choose the mode if they keep up with this action.
Flipkart, Amazon and the other e-tailers have revealed that the claim that people who choose COD mode of payment often take the option for granted, and this results in huge losses for the companies. As per a logistics company’s founder and CEO, these undelivered parcels cost the company any price from Rs. 50 to Rs. 150 depending on the size of the parcel.
A study was conducted by NARVAR, a company based out of Chicago, which stated that of all the orders made at Amazon, Flipkart and other such e-commerce entities, as much as 65% of them are COD. Of this 65 %, about 33% of orders go undelivered, which leads to added costs to the e-commerce companies.
It also revealed the fact that one-third of COD orders from online shopping sites are undelivered.
In the report, Narvar’s chief technology officer (CTO) Ram Ravichandran says, “Being a very high COD market, non-deliveries and returns are major problems for Indian retailers. It is a massive challenge and loss of income for retailers. The idea is to incentivise people to move beyond COD.”
E-Commerce Companies To Install Software To Rate Customers’ Behavior And Decide
In order to curb this irresponsible behavior, the e-commerce companies have decided to put some particular software in place which will identify such shoppers and their actions will be reflected. Also, they will not be allowed to choose the COD option for their shopping thereafter.
This software is intended to classify the behavior of the customers and the data that will be collected will help the supplier to make the decision whether COD should be made available to the customer or not.


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Gartner: Top Strategic Predictions for 2016 and Beyond: The Future Is a Digital Thing
According to Gartner’s research paper published on the 2nd of October 2015 the spectacular development of smart machines and self-reliant devices will radically influence business practices and human behavior. We have been witnessing the rise of this phenomenon in 2013/2014 and now we are seeing it deployed in front of our eyes.
The team of 27 researchers and analysts that have worked on this Gartner report , concluded on the following key findings:
- The relationships between machines and people are becoming increasingly competitive, as smart machines acquire the capabilities to perform more and more daily activities.
- “Smartness” is now everywhere in the work environment, with consequences that are difficult for enterprise decision makers to foresee.
- The Nexus of Forces is evolving and expanding into an entirely new set of scenarios.
Three years and five years from now, the top ten strategic planning assumptions pointed by Gartner research Group are the following
- By 2018, 20% of all business content will be authored by machines.
- By 2018, 6 billion connected things will be requesting support.
- By 2020, autonomous software agents outside of human control will participate in 5% of all economic transactions.
- By 2018, more than 3 million workers globally will be supervised by a “roboboss.”
- By YE18, 20% of smart buildings will have suffered from digital vandalism.
- By 2018, 50% of the fastest-growing companies will have fewer employees than instances of smart machines.
- By YE18, customer digital assistants will recognize individuals by face and voice across channels and partners.
- By 2018, 2 million employees will be required to wear health and fitness tracking devices as a condition of employment.
- By 2020, smart agents will facilitate 40% of mobile interactions, and the post-app era will begin to dominate.
- Through 2020, 95% of cloud security failures will be the customer’s fault.
An excerpt from the Analysis section is elocvent:
“This year’s 10 seemingly disparate top predictions are more closely related than they might seem at first glance.
Among the high-level trends that emerge from these predictions are:
The relationships between machines and people are moving from the cooperative to the co-dependent to the competitive:
In last year’s predictions, we stated that the world was rapidly moving to a future in which machines and humans would be co-workers, and possibly even co-dependents — and this is now a reality. We’re seeing an increase in the use of autonomous and smart machines, and in the ability of those machines to depend on human partners. Forty-seven percent of devices will soon have the necessary intelligence to request support. Things everywhere, from connected engines to connected prostheses, will be requesting support from humans and human-managed businesses. Vending machines, vacuum cleaners, printers, air fresheners, security cameras, parking meters, soap dispensers and aircraft are just a few examples of things that will be asking for repair. The next frontier is a world where machines compete with people to perform more and more daily activities.
“Smartness” is being applied across the entire fabric of the work environment:
We need to be asking ourselves, “How smart is smart enough?” when it comes to software systems and devices. When devices become smart enough to go beyond simple autonomous behavior, to behavior that is less predictive, we open the door to unexpected — and potentially unwanted — results. The prevalence of metacoin platforms driven by software algorithms, for example, allows the emergence of a fully programmable economy operating beyond the control of centralized institutions or even governments. Will this lead to software agents acting as robothieves, making unauthorized economic transactions? Will the rise of smart machine instances in the workforce drive a psychological wedge between businesses and their employees, making them feel increasingly like parts of an all-encompassing business machine? These are questions that, while not yet fully answered — and perhaps not fully answerable, are examined implicitly as part of our predictions on the future of smart machines.
The Nexus of Forces is evolving and expanding into an entirely new set of scenarios:
Security responsibility, personal identification and the evolution of the post-app era are three areas where we see the converging factors that Gartner has identified as the Nexus of Forces — social networking, cloud computing, mobile communications and information — continuing to evolve. As security concerns take center stage for digital customers, it is becoming clear that security is everyone’s problem. We predict that cloud security will evolve to become more of a customer maturity issue than a provider issue. We allude to the fact that password identification will no longer be enough, and much of our personal “image” will become our digital signature. We also state categorically that mobile apps are not the final word when it comes to the way individuals interact with businesses. These three issues expose us to the notion that the maturity of cloud and mobile, and the need for more effective approaches to security, are now becoming core value propositions for business.”


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The Chinese government has issued new regulations that confirm the legal status of the ride-hailing industry in the country.
New documents issued by China’s Cabinet describe a series of broad guidelines about the ways in which ride-hailing operations should be run. Meanwhile, finer details will be left to cities to determine.
Until now, Uber and its rivals—chief among them the homegrown Chinese company Didi Chuxing, which significantly outperforms the U.S. company—have operated in a legal gray area in many regions of China. As such, they’ve been left wide open to legal disputes. Last year, for instance, Uber’s Guangzhou offices were raided over claims that the company was running unlicensed taxi operations.
Vice Minister of Transportation Liu Xiaoming explained to Reuters that “in managing online ride hailing, on the one hand we want to promote its development, on the other hand we want to regulate its behavior.”
Many of the rules will be welcomed by riders. Drivers will be expected to: pass a crime check, have three years of driving experience, and be using a vehicle that’s less than eight years old and with under 370,000 miles on the clock. Cities, meanwhile, may place limits on pricing or specify that drivers use only certain types of vehicles.
Some critics, however, may argue that the rules don’t do enough to protect workers. Just as in the U.S., Uber and Didi Chuxing treat drivers in China as contractors. In a previous draft of the new guidelines, it was proposed that ride-hailing companies would have to sign agreements with drivers that registered them as employees. The new rules, however, explain that different types of labor contracts will be permitted, suggesting that the companies may still be able to avoid providing workers with, say, vacation time or sick leave.
Responding to the news, Uber referred to it as a "welcome step" that would send a "message of support for ride-sharing and the benefits that it offers riders, drivers, and cities." Didi Chuxing, meanwhile, simply said that it will make an "earnest effort" to comply with the new regulations.
Didi Chuxing can perhaps afford to sound relaxed. It’s thought to command around 87 percent of the private car-hailing business in China, and it recently received $1 billion in funding from Apple. Uber, meanwhile, has admitted that it’s losing $1 billion a year in China.
With new regulations in place, the pair will hope to avoid scuffles with lawmakers and instead concentrate on the task at hand. For Uber, though, that still involves a lot of catch-up.
The dark secret behind those cute AI-generated animal images
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Lowlifes willing to lie about things like collecting money for charity wheedled Americans out of about $1.9 billion last year, about $500 million more than they pocketed in 2018 and about $1 billion more than they scammed in 2017, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
As alarming as those numbers might be, losses to wide-ranging scams and frauds in reality were probably much higher, said Stacy Morey, chief of the Consumer Protection Unit in the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter. That’s because the FTC figures are based on cases of fraud that were actually reported. It’s likely, Morey said, that many more scams were perpetrated involving more losses that were never reported.
Morey, who offered insights Wednesday during an online forum on consumer fraud sponsored by the Oklahoma Insurance Department, said victims of fraud and their financial losses have multiplied in recent years as criminals from around the world have figured out more, often creative ways to reach out to people and convince them to part with cash.
“I think they’re rising because scam artists internationally have experienced a lot of success with certain types of scams and avenues, (and) I think there are just a lot more scammers out there than there were before,” she said.
Cellphones are the medium of choice for criminals looking to contact people, used about 69% of the time. Scammers and victims also commonly link up through email, social media or via other online avenues. About 3% of the time it’s through the mail.
Perhaps surprisingly, many times victims actually initiate contacts with scammers themselves after clicking on some innocuous-looking website or unwittingly calling a number associated with a service that might appear legitimate but that turns out to be anything but.
“We typically talk about scams in terms of them contacting us, but what we don’t spend a lot of time on, and perhaps should, is how we sometimes instigate scams on ourselves,” Morey said. “I think part of the increase we are seeing is because of the overload of information we get as consumers. Perhaps we click on something or reach out to someone and don’t do a good job of researching information. … I think it’s a complicated, high-level issue, but I know we’ve had more consumers in the last 12 months who have said it was something (that) they instigated the contact.”
Morey said younger people report losing money to scammers more often than older people. Some 43% of those 20-29 who report scams also report losing money. That compares to 15% of victims 70 or older. However, older people typically lose more money in scams, with median losses amounting to more than $9,000.
Typical phone scams might involve some story concocted by the caller about a person owing money to the Internal Revenue Service or facing arrest for not paying a parking ticket or not showing up for jury duty. A typical “impostor scam” might also play out as a fraudster pretending to be calling on behalf of a grandchild hurt in an accident or arrested and desperately in need of cash.
“When we’re fearful, that compounds our willingness to do what’s being asked of us,” Morey said.
Other calls might involve “good news” like a win in a lottery. At some point in any such conversation, however, the consumer fraud expert said the caller will inevitably ask for money to be wired or otherwise sent to some address. They might also ask for things like bank account or credit card numbers or Social Security numbers.
Any request like that should stand out as a huge red flag.
Morey said a solid piece of advice is to simply not answer calls from numbers that aren’t recognized. Another is to be extremely wary of providing any sensitive information over the phone or online.
She said other kinds of consumer fraud, like home repair scams, also are on the rise nationally and in Oklahoma. Authorities have begun to see more related to COVID-19 and, especially, charities supposedly formed to help pandemic victims.
“Nationally, there’s been a lot,” she said. “We have a network with all of the (AG) offices nationwide and we’re on constant national conference calls regarding all aspects of COVID-19 and the different ways scammers have adopted different methods for what’s going on right now.”
Morey urged people who suspect they may have been targeted by scammers, and especially those who have lost money, to contact the AG’s office. Her comments, recorded as part of a series called “Hoodwinked” posted by the OIG, can be viewed online at https://onlinexperiences.com/scripts/Server.nxp.


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Social media is a powerful tool, allowing like-minded people to connect at a whim.
However, imagine social media being used to sell children.
As horrible as this might sound, social networks are being used to sell living creatures.
“Using social media for the selling of pets or for giving them to good homes is disgraceful. You are basically bartering animals,” enthused Heather Gero of the SPCA.
This is because there is no surety that the animals are in fact going to a good home.
“Would you do this to your child? If not, why will you do it to an animal?” she asked.
Gero said as humans and animals were both sentient beings, it is imperative to remember animals needed to be treated with respect.
But why are people trading pets over social media?
According to Gero, some used animals are disposable commodities to make a quick buck.
“It is sad to think humanity can sink so low to sell a pet. Owning a pet is a privilege and not a right,” Gero said.
Other people sold pets as they merely did not take the time to sterilise their animals.
“People will make excuses why they don’t sterilise their pets, like it is too expensive.”
Yet, when their pet had a litter, the same people would take to social media and flog off the pups or kittens at a price.
“A lot of those who sell pets over social media claim to be animal lovers. But an animal lover will not do this.”
Gero said if an individual could not afford to sterilise their pets or basic veterinary costs, it is best to not take in a pet.
The lure of exotic pets
While puppies and kittens are often sold via social networks, exotic pets such as bearded dragons, tortoises and hedgehogs are also sold on a regular basis.
“The reason they are being sold in this way, is because it is easy to do it,” Gero explained.
By removing an animal from its natural environment, putting it in a cage, to feel good about themselves owning a rare form of animal was not proof of being an animal lover, but rather a Neanderthal.
In fact, Gero said owning an exotic pet has no form of enrichment for the animal what so ever.
For those who truly care about the welfare of animals, there is adoption.
Organisations like the SPCA, home animals who have faced hardships not many people can understand.
Abuse, neglect, abandonment is but some of the situations some animals find themselves in.
With the SPCA taking their welfare to heart, by adopting one of these animals, a family is sure to find a true companion.
The SPCA is not just a place of safety for mixed breeds.
Within its care there are pedigrees and mongrels alike, all seeking a second chance in life.
“Some of the mongrels are more loving and stronger than some thoroughbreds,” Gero said.
What does it take to adopt a pet from the SPCA?
While the SPCA is against the selling of animals, acquiring a four-legged family member does come at a price.
Adoption costs R550, which includes sterilisation, the pet’s first set of inoculations, a collar and identity tag.
As animals cannot speak for themselves, the SPCA also ensures the adopting ‘parents’ are able to provide a safe and secure environment.
For more information on adopting pets, contact the SPCA on 034 318 2346.


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Local Auto Dealers Boosted Ad Spending Nine Percent In 2021.
Despite supply challenges, Americans bought 14.9 million new vehicles from auto dealers last year as low interest rates often led to consumers waiting for the cars and trucks that did make it to showrooms. The National Association of Automobile Dealers reports total dealer ad spending in 2021 was $8.19 billion, a nine percent increase from pandemic-impacted 2020.
“The major theme for America’s franchised new-vehicle dealers in 2021 was constrained inventory. The coronavirus pandemic and resulting microchip shortage and production cuts significantly restricted new-car and -truck inventory at dealerships across the country,” said NADA Chief Economist Patrick Manzi. “Even so, average dealership total sales set a record, topping $71 million. Total sales for all new light-vehicle dealerships exceeded $1.18 trillion after falling below $1 trillion in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.”
Vehicles that were selling drove off the lot at a record price. NADA says the average new car sold for $42,329 last year. That was nearly $6,000 more than what the typical new car sold for in 2019. And the average used car sold for $26,709 last year, which was also a $6,000 increase from pre-pandemic 2019.
But with incentive programs still scaled back or nonexistent, not as much was spent on marketing as when dealer lots were full with cars. NADA says the average dealer spent $602 on advertising for each new vehicle sold last year. That was actually an increase from the low point recorded in 2020. But it was still nowhere near the $640 spent on advertising for each new vehicle in 2019.
Even though both national brand and dealer advertising has increasingly been focused on digital, the NADA data shows local dealers are relying on local media outlets to drive awareness. It estimates one of every ten dollars spent by local dealers went to radio, with another 12% going to local television and five percent to local newspapers. The internet now captures the largest share of local dealer budgets, however, with NADA estimating nearly two thirds of what dealers spend goes to online ads.
NADA estimates the typical new car dealership spent $491,038 on advertising last year. Radio’s share of that total averaged $48,122. While that is more than double what was spent on newspapers and more than direct mail, it was still less than the nearly $61,000 spent by the average dealer on television or the more than $312,000 spent on internet advertising.
Despite continued supply chain issues, higher interest rates, and even the risk of a recession, NADA is optimistic this year will deliver additional recovery from the auto market. Electric vehicles and other alternative-fuel cars and trucks accounted for 9.5% of new vehicles sold last year, and that number is expected to increase this year as new electric models come to market and consumers gobble them up to avoid some of the highest gas prices in years.
“Looking ahead into 2022, we expect that sourcing new- and used-vehicle inventory will be top of mind for dealers across the country and that the chip shortage and its impact on vehicle production will extend into 2023,” said Manzi. “Despite this challenge, we are confident that 2022 will end up another solid year for America’s franchised dealers.”


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Starbucks is set to open its first café in Letchworth - complete with a drive-thru, outdoor seating and electric vehicle charging. North Herts Council has granted planning permission for a new café next to Burger King and Wickes, near Baldock Road and the A1(M).
Documents put forward by the developer show that the new building would sit in the south-eastern corner of an existing car park, which would need to be “reconfigured” to make way for the project. The new single-storey café would feature a mix of timber and concrete cladding, and large glazed areas.
A report reads: “The proposed development is being led by market and locational requirements, as Starbucks has not got an existing unit in Letchworth and the retail park can accommodate the proposed development, to serve the needs of the existing customers.” Planning permission has also been secured for signage which would be “very visible” from the B656 Baldock Road and Jubilee Road.
“This would dominate the street scene to the detriment of the character of the area,” the report reads. The developer added the signage would appear “relative” to the existing Wickes and Burger King buildings. In granting planning permission, North Herts Council has imposed nine conditions on the developer, among them that at least 10 per cent of Starbucks’ new car park spaces must include electric vehicle charging points.
A Starbucks spokesperson said: “We are always looking for new locations and opportunities to bring the Starbucks Experience to customers in the UK, but at this time we have no updates to share about plans in Letchworth.”


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The theme of this year’s week is ‘Get Connected’, building on the 2013 theme to ‘Take a step forward’. The focus is on encouraging entrepreneurs to reach out and make the right connections, and to leverage these to support and facilitate starting in business.
During the week, RBS and NatWest will run a series of events including conferences, financial literacy programmes and enterprise education activities, directly engaging with SME businesses and entrepreneurs to support them taking the next step.
So far in 2014 RBS has already supported over 68,000 budding entrepreneurs over 1,700 events and has announced a commitment to open 8 regional business accelerator hubs as part of the partnership with Entrepreneurial Spark.
In Birmingham, the location of the first Accelerator Hub (currently open for applications), Entrepreneurial Spark powered by NatWest kicked off Global Entrepreneurship Week with
‘#Pitchoff, a free event to inspire entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
The event saw Levi Roots, founder of Reggae Reggae Sauce, share his ‘Secret Sauce’ for building a successful business.
Professor Jim Duffy, CEO at Entrepreneurial Spark® said:
“We are all really excited to have Levi Roots on board – he is an icon. Since we announced that we were opening our free business accelerator hub in Birmingham we have met some great people from the business community here so we are looking forward to meeting many more during Global Entrepreneurship Week. We’ve put on a packed agenda for the #PitchOff event that will offer inspiration as well as very practical help on how to grow your business.”
As well as the Key note speech from Levi Roots, there is a packed agenda of inspiring sessions on the topic of raising investment, as well as a pitching competition for attendees with prizes including a spot in the Birmingham Hub and advertisement of their business in local NatWest branches.
Ian Cowie, Chairman of SME Banking, said: "The events and activities that our people are running during Global Entrepreneurship Week highlight our strong commitment to support enterprise across the UK. We can be proud that wherever people are doing business, we’re never far away - whether that's through empowering people to get started in business through our Inspiring Enterprise programme; promoting social enterprises through our community banking team or hosting start-up surgeries and clinics through our team of regional enterprise managers.”


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From the sounds of the media last week, you’d have thought Apple had invented something no one had ever seen before.
In fact, the tablet PC has been around for many, many years. But just as Apple didn’t invent the smartphone with the iPhone either, they did take an existing product and make it lightyears better than anything else out on the market.
Remember the Palm Treo? Not many will in another decade or so.
So what does the iPad mean for companies and marketers?
Here are some of my thoughts:
1. It’s not a given the iPad will be a wild success. Not everything Apple touches turns to gold. See the iTV.
2. However, with the wild success of the iPhone and the iTouch (the iPad is just a larger version of both, after all), those involved in online advertising need to monitor how it does closely. Initial sales have been strong.
3. There is a very real possibility that the iPad will be the saving grace for the magazine and newspaper industry. With circulation cratering for paper-based media, the industry has been struggling to figure out a subscription model to generate revenue. Besides a few success stories like the WSJ, not many have had success. The iPad represents a real opportunity to start making money again for the media.
4. Consequently, expect to see new advertising formats online with the iPad. Apple has already thrown the gauntlet down vs. Google with their announcement of their iAd network, primarily to prep them for advertising on the mobile side. But you can be sure that iAd will spill over into iPad applications.
5. Just like with social media, don’t overemphasize the importance ofiPad marketing in lieu of the nuts and bolts of marketing. These include a solid corporate website, lead generation, public relations,
search engine marketing. Keep the marketing budget and focus on the fundamentals. Extra resources can be used to monitor newer, emerging channels.
6. Of greater importance, watch how the new competition between Apple and Google progress. Google literally created a whole new category called “search engine marketing”. Apple may do the same with “mobile application marketing”. Apple has already stated that Google’s search model of advertising isn’t well-suited to the new mobile world. Instead, Apple is going to be heavily into advertising from within applications, potentially creating an entirely new marketing category.


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After a year that’s been bad for both businesses and consumers, it might be assumed that business forecasts are going to be negative. However, a survey of London businesses late in 2023, gives mixed signals. Most expect difficult times in the first half of 2024 — but a surprisingly large number also expect to increase their profits this year.
Fears for Economic Activity in 2024
In a survey of 500 London-based businesses by Savanta during October and November last year, 66% flagged up inflation as their primary concern for 2024 and considered it a bigger issue than in previous months.
The biggest drivers for this concern were fuel costs, energy costs and interest rates. 52% of the businesses questioned expected that they’d need to pass on utility and inflationary costs to customers in price rises. A sobering figure is that a mere 28% of London businesses expect the economy of the capital to improve in 2024.
Optimism About Profitability in 2024
Given this gloomy atmosphere, a surprising number of London businesses expect to do well in 2024. Around half predict that both their turnover and their profits will rise during the year.
This optimism appears to derive from increasing consumer demand at home. The survey found that 25% of businesses, more than in the 3rd quarter, reported an increase in demand for their services or products. At the same time, 26% reported that their cashflow had increased, as opposed to 23% in the previous quarter.
However, not everything is positive. The prospect for exports seems more uncertain, with the number of businesses reporting increased exports falling from 15% to 11%.
What Does This Mean for You?
Karim Fatehi CBE, Interim Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), considered that:
“These findings present a mixed picture for our city… As we look ahead to the UK general election in 2024, businesses desperately need clarity on the Government’s — and The Opposition’s — strategy to improve the current operating climate. Only then will businesses, the lifeblood of our economy, be able to see through the current storm and plan a long-term route for growth.”
Until then, as always, businesses need to boost their own cashflow, without expecting help from external economic sources. This means ensuring that payment is delayed on as few invoices as possible.
Give me a call to find out how I can help you go after your won’t-pay customers and find ways for your can’t-pay ones to settle their debts as quickly as possible. With a healthy cashflow, maybe your predictions too will be for growth during 2024.


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Tesla issues a recall on 80,000 cars in China adding another one to a year with a lot of recalls, but most of them are easily fixed with software updates.
Earlier this year, NHTSA issued a series of recalls on Tesla vehicles that were highly reported in the media.
What was less reported, though, is that almost all of those recalls were fairly simple software issues that Tesla has been able to fix through over-the-air software updates.
Whenever there’s a safety-related issue, NHTSA has to issue a “safety recall,” even if the automaker doesn’t have to physically recall any vehicle, which leads to some confusion.
Again last month, a Tesla recall of “1 million vehicles” made many headlines when the recall simply consisted of Tesla changing how its software handled window operations. These instances have led Tesla CEO Elon Musk to complain about the term “recall” and how it is used against Tesla by the media.
Today, Tesla also announced more recalls in China on about 80,000 vehicles.
According to Chinese authorities, the recall includes 67,698 imported Model S and Model X vehicles with a software problem related to the battery pack. Again, the fix is a simple software update.
However, this time there’s also a physical recall due to a seat belt issue on about 13,000 Model 3 vehicles: 2,736 imported and 10,127 made in China.
With now over 20 recalls in 2022, it has been a “Total Recall” year for Tesla – pun intended:
But Tesla is not the only automaker affected by large recalls this year. Ford just confirmed that it is recalling another half a million vehicles due to a fire risk, and many automakers have also recalled millions of vehicles this year.
If anything, the fact that the large majority of Tesla’s recalls are quickly fixed with over-the-air software updates – rather than having to bring the cars back to the dealership like other automakers – shows that Tesla’s level of connectivity in its vehicles is a major advantage in the industry.
It makes for an easier experience for the customers, and it is much cheaper and more efficient for Tesla.
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Saris has announced they’ve been acquired by C+A Global, a company you’ve probably never heard of. As you may remember from earlier this past summer, Saris found itself in court, and selected to sell itself as part of a fast-track process offered to companies within the state of Wisconsin. While there seemed to be a number of options within the greater cycling community, the company that ultimately ended up acquiring Saris is C+A Global, which is a bit of a brand holding group.
They have some entire companies in their portfolio, while simply holding licensing rights for others. For example, C+A Global outright owns the entirety of Ritz Camera. Though, there are only actually two Ritz Camera store locations remaining according to their website (for a brand that was once in seemingly every mall in America). Meanwhile, on the licensing front, they license the Kodak brand for a handful of photo printer related products. And of course, they also outright own Sky Mall, everyone’s favorite in-flight magazine. In general, the catalog of entities that C+A owns is mostly companies or brands on the decline.
Still, C+A says that’s their jam – reviving companies that need a turnaround story. Here’s the full press release:
“Madison, WI – C+A Global, a leading worldwide manufacturer and online retailer of consumer products and electronics, alongside its sister company, Saris Equipment, LLC, finalized the acquisition of Saris, along-time manufacturer of world-class bike racks, bike trainers, bike storage racks, as well as public bike systems and infrastructure. By leveraging its impressive manufacturing and sales background, C+A Global plans to breathe new life into the Wisconsin-based brand, starting with updating product lines. Headquartered in Edison, NJ, C+A Global has proven experience purchasing and redeveloping manufacturing companies, most notably Zink Technologies, the innovative company behind ZINK Zero- Ink® photo paper. Acquired seven years ago, Zink has grown exponentially, successfully partnering with some of the largest names in the photography industry under C+A Global’s leadership, including HP, Kodak, and Canon.
“We are thrilled to add Saris to our always-expanding portfolio of brands,” said Chaim Piekarski, CEO of C+A Global. “C+A Global is perfectly positioned to build on this brand based on our successful experience of understanding and selling products that consumers want. Re-energizing Saris and maintaining its relationships are our highest priority and we’re looking forward to having Saris successfully operating with fresh product lines as soon as possible.” In addition to acquisitions, C+A Global focuses on the design, manufacturing, and sale of a wide variety of consumer products. Its manufacturing expertise and endless ability to meet consumer demand have led to great success in developing diverse product lines featuring highly rated and reviewed brands like Kodak photo printers, Ivation dehumidifiers, Lyxpro audio equipment, Sunny & Fun outdoor toys, ArfPets products, and more. This breadth of innovative products has given C+A Global a significant presence on direct-to-consumer third-party sales platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, Wayfair, and Chewy. By purchasing Saris, C+A Global enters another established category with a loyal customer base.
Saris strives to serve every rider by making cycling accessible and ensuring consumers can ride their bikes whenever and wherever they want. The brand will continue to bring bike accessories to consumers and communities throughout the world through its retailers, specialty bike dealers, third-party ecommerce platforms, and its own website, www.saris.com.”
I’d been following the court filings over the summer and had seen the September 23rd, 2022 motion on the docket, which included representatives for both C+A Global, as well as another company – Arcana Power Sports, which makes fitness equipment. Turns out C+A won.
Honestly, I’ve got no idea where this goes from here, and what it means for consumers. Obviously, in the press release, they note:
“Re-energizing Saris and maintaining its relationships are our highest priority and we’re looking forward to having Saris successfully operating with fresh product lines as soon as possible.”
But it’s realistically hard to know what that means. However, Saris has confirmed separately that all employees are being retained, and all manufacturing in Madison, WI is also being retained. Further, all product lines are being retained. All of which is good news.
There are of course many brands that simply have corporate parents that don’t align perfectly on paper to the product at hand. And that’s perfectly fine. I’m less concerned that C+A doesn’t seem to have much experience in this sector, and more concerned that the portfolio of brands that are outlined on their website don’t exactly inspire confidence in the turnaround story department.
On the flip side, this result is certainly better than the company being shut down, and then the assets simply being piecemeal sold off. So at least for the present, existing Saris customers can continue to see Saris operate as normal, and the company plans “fresh product lines” soon in our living rooms, vehicles, or bike parking spots.
I suspect this is a story that’s gonna take a year or two before we know how the next chapter goes.
Thanks for the update. Another step in an uncertain future for the brand and their products. Here’s hoping that they can find a new direction and regain success as a long standing US manufacturer.
Thanks, Chad. We are looking forward to this next phase!
I imagine that the owners of Saris accepted the best financial offer. But the future of Saris as a company looks pretty bleak, given that the Hoding is specialized in buying old cows.
As a owner of 2 Cycleops cycling trainers, I feel cheated by the decision. They could have opted for a buyer who is already in the sports business.
The owners of Saris ran the company so far into debt that the bank took ownership, so they made no money from the sale of the company. Which, given that they ran the company so far into debt that the bank took ownership, seems fair.
Hey John, We are looking forward to putting out more great products. Stay tuned, this next phase is going to be exciting.
While it is true there are other buyers that would have made the transaction seem more promising, I think it is a good sign that it happened at the pace that it has.
Exactly what happens in the next few steps will be interesting.
Thanks so much for your support. We are pushing forward and the new owner is passionate about what we have created.
Love my MP1.
Rocksolid, pun intended.
So glad to hear that. It is so much better than a “rocker plate”.
It was a bankruptcy auction.
Actually, it wasn’t. I outline the differences in my previous post on this.
my 15 year old Cyclops hub power meter still works and I use it regularly.
my 12 year old Cyclops fluid 2 still a solid dumb trainer.
my new Hammer H3 smart trainer… spot on product.
the company makes (or made) some find products.
We love nothing more than hearing about the longevity of our products. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.
As others have said, Saris made/makes solid products in the USA. I don’t see a bright future for their US manufacturing and product development. I predict first things to cease being manufactured in USA will be consumer car racks and trainers. Infrastructure racks will likely hang around being manufactured in USA as many are purchased by government entities in the USA and they often have “Buy American” requirements.
Yes, will be interesting to see where it goes. Surprised they’re keeping everything the same but expecting different results. I was expecting some strategy for how some newer approach was going to help the company be successful in a way they hadn’t been before
We are very much still alive and looking forward to manufacturing more awesome trainers and outdoor accessories. We are happy to answer any questions you have about the future and we will do our best to answer them.
Hi Saris, lots will be looking at buying the H3 at current prices but will be put off by fears of lack of future support. What assurance can you give to people that buying a H3 is a safe bet now and for the life of the trainer?
On the off chance the new owners are reading this, having the saris trainer made in America was what made my decision to buy one over the wahoo competitor. Please don’t move manufacturing.
Thanks for the feedback! I can assure you they have big plans for our manufacturing facility. Thanks for your support.
Hang in there Saris!; good companies with good people will evolve!! Looking forward to your next phase!
Thanks for your comment. We really have the best people, looking forward to the evolution.
Seems like Zwift missed out by not buying them.
Je comprends pourquoi en France on peut trouver ce produit (H3) soldé à moitie prix 465€
I bought a Saris because it gave me the rare chance to buy American and keep manufacturing jobs here!


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Westfield Plans To Build 670 Apartments At Montgomery Mall After Sears Closes
The Sears at the Westfield Montgomery Mall is expected to close next year, and the mall owner is looking to launch a major mixed-use development on its piece of the property.
Westfield presented plans to the community Wednesday to build 670 apartments and 300K SF of new retail and hotel space on the 28-acre site now occupied by the Sears and the surrounding parking lot, Bethesda Magazine reports.
The developer plans to create a woonerf, a pedestrian-friendly, shared street running through the site. The development would be built on the northern portion of the mall property along Westlake Terrace.
The project would be built in phases. Westfield tells Bethesda Magazine it plans to close the Sears, which it bought last year, in March and begin work on the first phase later next year. The first phase, expected to be completed by 2022, would demolish the Sears property and create 170K SF of new retail space with 350 to 360 apartments above, plus a health club. After that, Westfield would build an additional 300 units and 130K SF of retail and hotel space.
Westfield hopes to bring high-end retail and fine dining to the new retail space. The mall owner in recent years has completed a $90M expansion, adding a Lucky Strike bowling alley and an ArcLight Cinemas and renovating its food court.


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L'Oreal has announced that it will remove words like "whitening" from its skin-care products.
The decision to do so follows the protests, seeking greater racial inclusivity and racial justice, which are currently taking place across the globe.
" [L'Oreal] has decided to remove the words white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening from all its skin evening products," explained the French cosmetics brand in a statement released yesterday, June 27.
The multi-billion dollar company's decision to do so came just one day after Unilever announced that it would officially be rebranding Fair & Lovely, a popular Indian skin-care brand known for its skin-whitening cream.
The consumer goods company, which is also behind brands like Dove, Vaseline, and Axe, announced on Thursday that it was dedicating itself to a "more inclusive vision of beauty." Specifically, the brand will remove the words "fair," "light," and "white" from all of its product packaging and marketing, thus changing the name of Fair & Lovely.
While Unilever has yet to share the brand's new name, the company said in a statement that it will be unveiled within the next few months, once legal regulations are met in relevant countries. This announcement comes after Johnson & Johnson, the company behind Neutrogena and Clean & Clear, recently declared that it would discontinue the production of skin-lightening products.


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Paytm, India’s digital payments startup is readying a $2.2. billion Initial Public Offering (IPO), and is just awaiting shareholders’ approval during a July 12 meeting. If successful, this will be the country’s largest-ever debut.
If approved, the startup will have the option of raising that target to as much as roughly $2.6 billion, per regulatory guidelines.
The IPO will bring Ant Group’s shareholding below 25%. Even though a price won’t be specified in the initial documents, the startup is expected to offer the same amount of new and secondary shares. In the end, its valuation could fall between $24 billion and $30 billion.
Paytm is an Indian e-commerce payment system and financial technology company based in Noida, India. Its mobile wallet enables users to transfer money to each other, pay for food delivery and clear utility bills, buy train and movie tickets, and also secure small loans. The firm is backed by SoftBank Group Corp., Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Ant Group Co.


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It is important to be able to differentiate what is incremental innovation and disruptive innovation. Where does Apple stand now?
Last Friday, Apple’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c went on sale. The company sold nine million of them in the first weekend, breaking the five-million-phone record it set last year with the iPhone 5. I sort of thought that was clearly good news for Apple and the iPhone. Or at least not, you know, worrisome news.
Then I read a piece by Sandy Cannold at ABCNews.com (which I found via MG Siegler’s ParisLemon). Cannold says that the new iPhones selling so well and generating so much hoopla is potentially alarming:
To me though, all this over-the-top fanfare and even the record-breaking first weekend of sales could actually be cause for concern. Now before Apple lovers pillory me and say that I have no idea what I am talking about, hear me out. I fully concede that Apple is going to make billions in profit from the sale of…
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Stomach bloating: The natural remedy that can ‘quickly relieve bloating’
Stomach bloating describes what happens when too much gas fills up a person’s gastrointestinal tract. Feeling like the belly is about to burst is a commonly reported complaint. For some people, simply cutting down on gassy culprits can help to soothe tummy swelling. For others, however, the root cause of their bloating may require a different strategy.
Artichoke tablets stimulate bile production and can quickly relieve bloating
As Dr Brewer, medical director of Healthspan, explained: “Symptoms may be related to insufficient production of bile which is needed to break down dietary fats before they can be absorbed.”
If a person’s bloating is being triggered by insufficient bile production, Dr Brewer recommended taking Artichoke tablets.
“Artichoke tablets stimulate bile production and can quickly relieve bloating,” she said.
Artichoke is also an effective antidote when bloating and indigestion is due to overly spicy food or drinking alcohol, she added.
Growing evidence supports the case for taking artichoke extract.
A study involving 247 people with indigestion determined that consuming artichoke leaf extract daily for six weeks reduced symptoms, such as flatulence and uncomfortable feelings of fullness, compared to not taking artichoke leaf extract.
According to Holland and Barrett, people are recommended to take one one to two capsules daily, preferably with a meal.
Do not exceed stated dose, said the health body.
Other natural treatments include drinking peppermint, ginger or fennel tea, taking probiotic supplements or Aloe vera, said Dr Brewer.
“If bloating is due to constipation, increasing your fibre and fluid intake and taking magnesium supplements can help,” she added.
Dr Gall also recommended upping fibre intake but added: “A diet high in fibre such as that of vegans and vegetarians can also cause bloating as it produces gas and also increases the stool transit time and volume, particularly if it’s not sugarless.”
According to Dr Gall, cutting down on fatty foods can also help to beat the bloat. “Meat and animal fat causes constipation and implicit bloating,” she said.
It may come as a surprise that artificial sweeteners can trigger bloating too.
Artificial sweeteners are frequently found in many reduced-calorie foods, processed products, and diet or decaffeinated drinks.
As Dr Oz explained: “They contain chemical compounds called sucralose, aspartame, and cyclamate that the digestive tract cannot break down easily.
“Sweeteners, which can be up to 300 times sweeter than natural sugar, are known to increase appetite and result in overeating.”
He advised steering clear of sweeteners to reduce the risk of tummy swelling.
Source: Read Full Article


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A new maturity standard went into effect last year for California navel oranges, but growers say conditions have been so favorable that meeting the standard has been no trouble.
By requiring that navels meet a certain sugar/acid ratio, the industry hopes even the first navels to hit supermarket shelves each fall will be sweet and flavorful, prompting repeat sales.
“Adopting the California Standard will increase the probability that the consumer will have a positive eating experience when they purchase a navel orange,” California Citrus Mutual says on its website.
There’s concern that early tart or sour fruit can turn off consumers, who may wait weeks or even months before sampling navels again.
Under the California Standard, growers must hold back their fruit from the market until it reaches a specific sugar/acid ratio.
But growing conditions were so favorable last year that the fruit had met the standard by the time the fruit had adequate color and growers were ready to pack and ship.
Those same conditions should prevail this year.
“The California Standard so far has not impacted the start of the season at all,” said Neil Galone, vice president of sales and marketing for Booth Ranches LLC, Orange Cove, Calif.
There have been times, he said, when oranges have color but not flavor early in the season.
“That’s what the California standard is designed to correct,” he said.
This season and last season, growers had flavor and were waiting for color, he said.
“We had a nice warm summer, and heat brings on sugar and flavor,” Galone said. “By the time we get color, the flavor will be very good.”
At Moonlight Packing Corp., Reedley, Calif., president Russ Tavlan said it behooves grower-shippers to ship a quality product.
“Ultimately, the consumer is the judge that dictates the success or failure of the product that you ship, so every responsible shipper harvests the product when the product is ready to be harvested,” he said.
In late September, Jeff Olsen, president of Visalia, Calif.-based Chuck Olsen Co., said the new standard “wasn’t a major problem for us” last year, and he doesn’t foresee any problem with it this year, either, since the fruit already seems to be more mature than normal.
He said he’s in favor of programs that help ensure the quality of California citrus.
“The better job we do of making the customer happy, the more we’re going to move,” Olsen said.


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General Motors Corp. is planning to temporarily close most of its U.S. factories for up to nine weeks, three people briefed on the plan said Wednesday. The exact dates of the closures are not known, but the people said they will occur around the normal two-week shutdown in July when changes are made from one model year to the next. None of the people wanted to be identified because workers have not yet been told of the shutdowns.
GM spokesman Chris Lee would not comment other than to say the company notifies employees before making any production cuts public. But UAW officials will likely raise questions about the move during meetings they have scheduled at several factories Thursday and Friday with plant managers and GM human resource officials to discuss production changes.
Thousands of workers could be laid off but would still get most of their pay because their United Auto Workers union contract requires the company to make up much of the difference between state unemployment benefits and their wages.
One of the people briefed on the plan said details are still being worked out. Some of the closings could be staggered between mid-May and the end of July, but the exact number of plants to be idled has not yet been determined. Another person said a few plants that make more popular models could remain open for part of the shutdown period, but at reduced assembly line speeds.
But the shutdown could be catastrophic to many auto parts suppliers that already are near bankruptcy due to previous production cuts. During the shutdown, suppliers couldn't ship parts to GM and would lose critical revenue.
"It's one of those things we've been dreading for a long time," said Jim Gillette, director of financial services at auto-industry consultant CSM Worldwide in Grand Rapids. "It's as bad as its ever been."
He said that many suppliers are making employee cuts or forcing workers to take furloughs to reduce operating expenditures.
GM is living on $13.4 billion in government loans and faces a June 1 deadline to cut its debt, reduce labor costs and take other restructuring steps. If it doesn't meet the deadline, the company's CEO has said it will enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The Treasury Department declined to comment on any effect the plant shutdowns might have on GM's restructuring plans.


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Over the years, anyone dealing with cryptocurrencies has become a known fact that fraud is spreading. However, The more beginners come onto the market, the more scammers improve their tactics to take advantage of unsuspecting Bitcoin enthusiasts with fake Bitcoin gifts and other sophisticated schemes.
Recently, A new group of scammers has emerged with even more sophisticated and aggressive tactics. As most reports show, fraudsters use popular social media platforms like YouTube and Twitter to track their victims. For example, On July 13, Cardano’s founder Charles Hoskinson warned of a YouTube account promoting false Cardano gifts (ADA).
More recently A significant attack on high-profile Twitter accounts has exposed the security risks of the main social media platforms. As Cointelegraph reported, thousands of people may have been cheated and lost their bitcoins after several prominent and verified Twitter accounts were hacked to promote a fake Bitcoin gift. L.Fraudsters reached around 350 million people and took over $ 110,000 in a matter of hours.
In almost all of a celebrity’s Twitter accounts, The audience was encouraged to send $ 1,000 in Bitcoin to a specific address to receive $ 2,000 as a gift.
YouTube is caught
In addition to Twitter, YouTube has also proven to be one of the most popular tools used by fraudsters. According to a report released on July 10 by Whale Alert, a fraud project that ran in June 2020, more than $ 120,000 was needed in one day to attract unsuspecting victims through a one-page website and YouTube advertising.
Cardano CEO Charles Hoskinson warned of fraud promoting YouTube for fake Cardano gifts. In a tweet, Cardano’s founder said that “A scam was floating around and using my lecture speech to advertise a gift“and added:”This is a scam. Please report it to YouTube. We will take legal action if we can take action against those responsibleEven though YouTube deleted the video, Hoskinson tweeted again that there are still YouTube ads promoting the attempted fraud.
Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple It was also targeted by imitators who hacked YouTube channels and renamed them “XRP Giveaways”.Reach millions of XRP owners without knowing it. In response, Ripple has filed a lawsuit against YouTube for allegedly benefiting from the fraudsters’ actions while also allowing them to stop them.
In another YouTube fraud case, several victims were lured into pyramid fraud in early June. after being promised a possible return of 200% of their Bitcoin donation to a YouTube account called “SpaceX”.
According to reports The fraudster got away with 15.3 BTC. Bleeping Computer reports that fraudsters hack existing YouTube channels, rename the channel SpaceX, and publish archived images of Elon Musk (or another public figure) to give the impression that Musk’s archived speeches are live.
While SpaceX’s legitimate channel has more than 4 million subscribers, two of the fraudulent channels have had 130,000 subscribers and 230,000 subscribers, giving viewers the appearance of a legitimate number of followers. Each of SpaceX’s fake channels asked viewers to send Bitcoin to a specific address.
To make the fake YouTube live streams accessible to a wider audience, the scammers used bots to increase the number of viewers in the live streams. This impresses the YouTube algorithm of a viral video.
With a combination of social engineering tricks and an increased audience with bots Fraudsters have managed to get their videos to the top of YouTube search, especially for keywords related to celebrities like Jack Ma and Elon Musk. Although YouTube has since responded by removing the hacked channels that promote fraud, there are still such scam videos on the platform.
Whale Alert reports that fraudsters who offer fake gifts find it easy to use celebrity identities to target large audiences using tools like YouTube advertising. Scam Alert, a partner of Whale Alert, has reported that the team has reported since the beginning of the year that more than $ 20 million has been stolen from Bitcoin.
The fraud market continues to develop
Fraudsters have been reported to use increasingly aggressive tactics in the form of fake companies with dozens of fake websites and social media accounts to promote their programs. Dominik Scheiner, co-founder of the IOTA Foundation, told Cointelegraph: “These cryptocurrency social media scams have become much more sophisticated and aggressive in recent months. The fact that they are continuing clearly shows that these scams are working“”
True to Schiener’s concerns, Whale Alert reports that celebrity fake gift scams involving celebrities like Elon Musk and popular exchanges can cost up to $ 300,000.. As fraudsters increasingly change their methods with professional equipment to improve the quality of their attacks, experts warn that it is only a matter of time before deep fake techniques enter the fraud market.
Last year, Jack Dorsey’s account was hacked when Twitter said the bug had been fixed. However, the recent attack shows that the platform still has many vulnerabilities. Schiener believes that Twitter and YouTube are attractive tools for fraudsters, due to their popularity:
“A comment on a popular tweet or YouTube video can be seen by thousands of people, which makes the scams a success. In addition, almost all social media platforms lack better moderation policies and tools these days.”
According to Schiener, popular social media platforms cannot remove fake or malicious content unless these platforms implement “As the best tools for moderating content, these scams will only increase and evolve“”
With the upcoming US presidential elections, all major social media platforms require stricter security measures than ever before. Schiener mentioned that the recent fraud attack showed that digital identities with verifiable credentials based on a distributed chain are a real struggle. With a DLT verification and identity system, Schiener explains that it is impossible to “pretend to be someone else or to falsify a credential” because the data is immutable and verifiable with KYC systems.
The concept of self-confident identity and verification systems is intended to give the user control over his information. Self-Sovereign Identity offers a solution for standard identity verification systems that bundle user information on central servers and create massive security gaps.
However, Placing self-confident verification and identity systems in a DLT avoids centralized, external control and control by third parties, which reduces the risk of widespread data breaches.
Despite optimism about the transformation potential of DLT-based identity verification systems, lExperts predict that by 2023, less than 10% of applications will launch DLT solutions. Although solutions already exist and the sector will grow by 35% annually, adoption remains slow.
One of the immediate solutions that social media platforms such as YouTube can currently adopt is to train their users on the security risks of the platforms. Also, YouTube can continuously monitor your platform’s accounts to identify and stop suspicious activity.
Fraud that increasingly reveals private investors
The recent YouTube hacking attack It has obviously undermined its users’ confidence in the security of the platform.
Beyond the loss of trust, however, YouTube is likely to have legal consequences, since the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) prescribes a first-class level of security for companies of their caliber. In the past, Other social networking sites such as Facebook have also been selected to improve their security and community management tools.
YouTube is already facing a lawsuit from Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, and the company’s lawyers for failing to stop fraudsters and imitators while they benefit from ads that promote fraud.
So far, YouTube has replied that it is not responsible for cryptocurrency fraud committed by third parties.
As the crypto fraud market grows, The impact on people’s lives is becoming increasingly important. For most lovers of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology Fraud was her first introduction to the industry, as the unregulated nature of the sector leaves room for fraudsters to get out of control.
Schiener suspects that the pandemic may have something to do with the growth of cybercrime as a whole, as shutdowns have left many people unemployed worldwide. Explain it: “This meant that they were working in less secure work environments and generally had to spend more time online. This gave fraudsters an obvious opportunity to step up their efforts.“”
In addition, Schiener believes that the rise in cryptocurrency fraud could also be a signal for an increase in retail investors joining the cryptosphere. Add, “Since many of these new investors are more newbies, it’s much easier to get them to publicize themselves or create more sophisticated phishing plans.“”


text: The portable situation is different because Nintendo is treading new ground. As far as games go, 360 really isn't doing anything different than the Playstation systems. MS isn't really trying to forge their own path as much as try to take Sony head on in the home entertainment business. MS does have online as a trump card at the moment, but that card may be over with by Nov 17. Nintendo is smart, as they have not decided to battle Sony head on anymore. Nintendo is trying to forge a new path. That is, of course, until Sony decides it is time to come in and take it.


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Friends, here is the full report on iSuppli’s recent activity titled “Mixed Signals in OEM Design Activities”.
Min-Sun Moon, senior analyst, Semiconductor Spend and Design, iSuppli, discussed how the “values” of design activities are discerned globally and how design decisions are made by a given country.
This report should be of particular interest to the Indian semiconductor design industry as it is apparent there is considerable scope for growth and development.
It is very well documented that everyone has been hit hard by the economic downturn. The electronic OEMs are no exception. They have also reduced shipments. The average selling prices (ASPs) of semiconductor devices have dropped dramatically as well.
Top six design influencing countries
As per iSuppli’s Design Activity Tool, the top six countries leading in the design influence are as follow: USA, Japan, China/Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Germany. The United States retains the no. 1 position, followed by Japan and China.
The dramatic changes in ASPs of chips and products meant an almost about 5 percent drop in semiconductor spend in 2008, and above 21 percent drop in semiconductor spend by the top OEMs in 2009. Hence, design activities by top OEMs dropped significantly.
The USA apparently has been going through a tough period, and it does not seem to have a bright future in 2009-10 due to drop in design spends. However, in 2010, it should post about 9-10 percent growth. The top design influencers in the USA include HP, Dell, Apple and Motorola.
China seizes opportunity
According to Moon, Japan retained the second position. However, China has seized the opportunity during the recession. It has some growth compared to other countries who have had negative growth this year.
China still remains one of the most attractive markets for OEMs to enter. Many top OEM have either opened or expanded R&D centers in China in the last few years.
However, because of the recession, the expansion by OEMs slowed down in China during 2009. Nevertheless, the Chinese market continues to grow. In the next few years, China will grow and the other countries will have some positive growth as well, but their growth will be slower than that of China.
China has also been showing interesting signs. Some Chinese companies are trying to enter new markets, such as automotive.
China is currently the third largest country in terms of design influence. The design share is about 10 percent in 2009. China could get close to Japan and the USA, but it will not happen in the near future though.
Top five countries in 2009
In 2009, the top five countries by design influence spend share are as follows: USA — 31 percent, Japan — 25 percent, China/Hong Kong — 10 percent, Taiwan — 8 percent, South Korea — 7 percent, and the Rest of the World — 19 percent.
Mixed signals are apparent in the design activities by country. For instance, this year, the USA has been losing market share. A large percent of design activities are moving to the Asia Pacific region. Some business in the USA is being continued or reduced — and being moved to other regions — in order to maintain the business and lower the cost of operations.
Japan’s design spend share increased from 22 percent (approximately $40 bn in 2008) to 25 percent in 2009. Japan is bringing a lot of design activities back home.
Taiwan used to be third largest in the design influence, but has now dropped to the fourth position, with share in design spend reaching 8 percent in 2009. China also contributed to the changes here. However, it is still better than others as some OEMs are still outsourcing to some ODMs located in Taiwan.
Identifying targets by regions
iSuppli gave examples of designing with sensors and actuators, and LEDs, as these are very popular currently.
According to Moon, designs using sensors and actuators have been more than 30 percent in the USA, while Japan has more than 25 percent. It is over 20 percent in Europe, while such designs have been less in Asia Pacific — above 15 percent.
The biggest influencers for sensors and actuators in the USA are said to be Apple, HP and TRW Automotive.
For LEDs, more use has been happening in Japan — over 30 percent. As an example, there are more LED TV design activities in Japan. The biggest influencers for LEDs in Japan are Canon and Sony.
Changes due to M&A
Another trend visible in the design spend share has been the changes due to mergers and acquisitions.
As an example, we have the Mitac Group, which acquired Magellan’s consumer products division. In 2008, Mitac Group had 78 percent spend in Taiwan, and 18 percent in the USA. After acquiring Magellan, Taiwan’s design spend share became 57 percent and USA’s became 13 percent. On the other hand, France’s share grew to 17 percent and Russia’s to 7 percent. This indicates that country-wise, budgets do get changed. This is just one example.
These are indeed very interesting numbers and facts, and as mentioned earlier, India has a considerable opportunity as an influencer in the semiconductor design spend going forward.
Recently, SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) released its World Fab Forecast report. This report mentions that projected decline in world semiconductor fab equipment spending of 20 percent is likely for 2008. However, a rebound of over 20 percent in spending is expected in 2009, driven by over 70 fab projects.
The August 2008 edition of this report lists 53 fab equipping projects and up to 21 construction projects for fabs in 2009. It is sincerely hoped that at least one of the fabs likely from the Southeast Asian region is from India!
With the help of Scott Smith Senior Manager, Public Relations, SEMI, I was able to get in touch with Christian Gregor Dieseldorff, Senior Manager of Fab Information and Analysis at SEMI, in an attempt to find out more about the decline in global fab spends, these new fabs, and how these fabs can lead a turnaround in the global semiconductor industry. Thanks Scott!
So what are the chief reasons for the decline in fab spends during 2008? According to Dieseldorff, given the weaker economic conditions globally, coupled with higher energy and commodity prices and the financial crisis, the overall outlook for semiconductor growth in 2008 is for low-single digit growth in both revenues and units. As such, device makers have responded by cutting back their capital spending and pushing out fab projects or putting them on hold.
I was keen to find out the geographic breakup of these 70 new fabs that are likely yo come up in 2009.
Dieseldorff advised that these are not 70 new fabs coming up in 2009. Rather, the numbers reflect 300mm fabs only, and is a mix of on-going and new projects for fabs equipping and fab construction projects in 2009.
For equipping 300mm fabs, SEMI expects about: Americas 8, China 5, Europe and Mideast 4, Japan 7, South Korea 11, SE Asia 3 and Taiwan 15.
For 300mm fab construction projects, SEMI expects about: Americas 3, China 2, Europe and Mideast 1, Japan 2, South Korea 3, SE Asia 2 and Taiwan 8.
What are the salient features of some of these new fabs likely to come up next year (for instance, new tech nodes)? Dieseldorff highlighted that about 90 percent of the investments are for 300mm capacity, and the amount of spending for advanced nodes, such as 65nm, is increasing.
“Also, device makers are building larger fabs, which are termed “mega fabs,” so, to potentially realize a greater return based on scales of economy,” he added.
How will these new fabs contribute to a better performance from the global semicon industry? This will be quite interesting to witness.
Dieseldorff said that over the past several years, demand for semiconductor devices has been quite strong, and so, the industry has had to bring on capacity to support this need, both in terms of needed capacity and technology. Even with the slower market growth in 2008, recent industry data shows healthy levels of fab capacity utilization, especially for the advanced technology generations and for 300mm manufacturing.
He added: “The expectation is that demand for semiconductors will strengthen once global economic conditions improve. So, the capacity addition that is coming online this year and the fab projects that are equipping and beginning construction in 2009 are necessary to meet the future demand.”
So how will all of this affect the overall memory market (e.g., 42pc increase in share for memory)? Dieseldorff shared his thought, a fact, known well to those in the semiconductor industry, that the memory market has been battered by declining average selling prices and a condition termed by some as “profitless prosperity.”
“Looking at demand forecasts specific to memory, tremendous growth is anticipated,” he forecasted.
However, the manufacturers in this device segment are battling it out for market share, and the general expectation is that consolidation will continue.
Also, joint-ventures and partnerships are becoming increasingly critical in the memory sector as manufacturers seek to leverage their existing resources to meet future technology and capacity requirements.
It would be interesting to find out why Taiwan and Korea are forecasted as likely to exceed Japan in fab spend?
According to Dieseldorff, in Korea, Samsung has been and is the key spender, and as a company, it will continue to invest so to have a dominant share in the memory sector.
He said: “In 2009, our expectation is for the DRAM manufacturers in Taiwan to boost spending after cutting back this year. We expect seven new 300 mm fab lines in Taiwan to come into production over the next two years.”
However, spending in Japan has been more measured and is likely to remain so. Toshiba, and its joint-venture partner, Sandisk are the big spenders in Japan, when it comes to new fab capacity. Other Japanese semiconductor manufacturers are more cautious and are focused more on technology spending.
The last few weeks of this month witnessed some interesting developments in DRAM. No, there are not signs of a recovery, yet. Instead, the appearance of new DRAM camps, as well as a new memory interface working group, does generate some interest.
However, first, the stats. DRAMeXchange recently reported that the Q1-08 revenues of the branded DRAM makers, impacted by continual low DRAM prices, fell by roughly 5.8 percent compared to Q4-07. Likewise, the contract prices and the spot prices fell 19 percent and 11 percent respectively.
DRAMeXchange further reported that barring Elpida and Powerchip, all other DRAM makers experienced a decline in revenues. Both Elpida and Powerchip witnessed slight increase in their market share during Q1-08.
Categorizing the DRAM industry market share by countries, Japan only increased by 0.9 percent from 13.5 percent to 14.4 percent, as Elpida’s revenue increased in Q108. Taiwan’s share increased by only 1.1 percent from 13.6 percent to 14.7 percent, as Powerchip gained market share. Korea sustained the same market shares — 47.2 percent, as in Q4-07.
However, America and Germany lost share. America’s share slipped from 13.6 percent to 13 percent, while Germany’s share fell from 12.2 percent to 10.8 percent, respectively.
In a recent investor conference, Samsung announced it will increase its Bit Growth Rate from 70 percent to 100 percent, an indication of its desire to continue reigning as a DRAM market leader.
Now, to the really interesting developments. First, Nanya and Micron signed an agreement to create MeiYa Technology Corp., a new DRAM joint venture. One of Nanya’s 200mm facility in Taiwan will be upgraded to 300mm starting this year, with the facility going online for production in 2009. Besides MeiYa, Nanya and Micron will co-develop and share future technology.
If this wasn’t enough, close on the heels of the Micron-Nanya JV, Elpida Memory and Qimonda AG, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a technology partnership for jointly developing memory chips (DRAMs), and accelerate their roadmap to DRAM products featuring cell sizes of 4F2.
Analysts at DRAMeXchange believe that the Qimonda-Elpida alliance re-shuffles the DRAM competitive landscape. It is also a sign of Qimonda’s determination to develop stacked process.
Lastly, ARM, Hynix Semiconductor Inc., LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Silicon Image Inc., Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, and STMicroelectronics announced the formation of a working group, the Serial Port Memory Technology (SPMT), which is committed to creating an open standard for next-generation memory interface technology targeting mobile devices.
SPMT, a first-of-its-kind memory standard for DRAM, is said to enable an extended battery life, bandwidth flexibility, significantly reduced pin count, lower power demand and multiple ports by using a serial interface instead of a parallel interface commonly used in today’s memory devices.
Handset vendors have joined the fray as this technology will not only extend battery life, it will allow high-performance media-rich applications as well, that are likely to be the norm on next-generation mobile phones.
Surely, these developments and the emergence of new camps promise some exciting times ahead in the memory market.